Hat and coat rack.



I No. 736,442. PATENTED AUG. 18. 1903.

PRATT. HAT AND GOAT RACK,

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 9. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

PETERS co moTo-umo" WASHWGTON, 0. r

its. 736,442.

Patented August 18, 1903.

HAT AND COAT RACK.

SPECIFIC ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,442, dated August 18, 1903. Application filed April 9,1903- Serial No. 151,837. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat and Coat Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to that class of racks which are supported on walls so as to provide a horizontal and basket-like tray or shelf on which hats, bundles, and the like may rest, as well as depending hooks on which coats and other articles may hang; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a hat and coat rack which shall be simple and inexpensive, readily constructed, efficient,and a perfectly-operating rack of the character above named.

A further object is to so construct the rack that the hooks thereof may be turned or folded so as to lie on the upper surface of the tray, thus allowing a number of racks to be packed closely together, so as to economize in the amount of space in shipping the racks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of .a rack embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof, showing it secured to a wall. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective View of one of the hooks. Fig. 4. is a similar View of asecuring-plate; and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View of the rack, showing the position to which the hooks may be turned for the purpose of economizing space in packing or shipping.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

The reference-numerals lOand 11 represent the end brackets, which may be made of any suitable size, form, and material, but preferably of the shape or design shown in Fig.- 2 of the drawings. The inner end of each of the brackets or that end thereof adjacent to the wall or support is provided with a plate 12, having openings 13 at its top and bottom to receive screws or nails to secure it to the support. The outer ends of the brackets 10 and 11 are connected together by means of a rod 14, which usually passes through suitable openings therein or may be otherwise socured thereto. Extending from the lower inner portion of one of the brackets to a like part of the other one and fitting in suitable openings therein or otherwise suitably secured thereto at its ends is a rod 15, which supports the hooks 16, which are preferably united together, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Extending longitudinally with the rods l t and 15 and secured at their ends to the lower members 17 of the end brackets are a series of wires or flat strips of metal 18, and secured at their ends to the rods 14 and 15 are a series of wires or flat strips of metal 19, which lie parallel with one another and pass over and under alternately the longitudinal wires or strips, thus forming meshes and interlocking one series of wires or strips with the other. At about the middle of the rod 15 is loosely mounted a securing-plate 20, which is provided atits lower end with a loop 21 to surround said rod and has openings 22 for the reception of nails or screws to secure it to the wall. By loosely mounting this plate on the rod 15 it is apparent that it may be slid thereon, so as to be placed in alinement with a stud or uprightin the wall in which it is desired to drive the nails or screws. 1

As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, each of the hooks is made of one piece of wire and are united to form a gang orgroup, which may be turned to the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings all at one time. Each of these hooks comprises two diverging members 23 and 24., the former of which is bent at its upper end to form a loop 25 to embrace the rod 15, on which they are mounted. The upper portion of the member 24 is entwinedwith the upper portion of the member 23 of the hook adjacent thereto, but below the loop 25 thereon.

By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be seen that the members 23 and 24. are

drawings it will be seen and clearly understood that as the hooks are united together and are loosely mounted on the rod 15 they may be turned to the position shown in Fig. 5 when it is desired to ship the racks; but when the rack is secured to the wall, as shown in Fig. 2, the hooks will depend so that when a coat or other article is hung thereon they will rest at their rear surfaces against the wall or alongside the same.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A hat and coat rack consisting of end brackets united together at their inner and outer ends by means of rods to form a frame, network secured to and within the frame, and a series of hooks united together and loosely mounted on the said inner rod so as to be turned thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the supportingtray having means to secure it to a support,-

of a rod horizontally secured to its lower inner portion, a series of hooks loosely mounted on said rod and united together; each of said hooks comprising two diverging members twisted together at their juncture and then bent downwardly and outwardly and then upwardly in parallelism, the u pper end of one of said members being looped around said rod, and the upper end of the other being twisted around the looped member of the adjacent hook, substantially as described.

3. A hat and coat rack consisting of end brackets, rods uniting them at their inner and outer ends to form a frame, network secured to and within the frame, the brackets extending above the network to form a box-like tray, and a series of hooks united together and 'loosely mounted on the inner rod so as to be turned thereon, substantially as described.

EDWIN PRATT.

Witnesses:

CHAS. O. TILLMAN, A. GUSTAFSON. 

